Ron Howard: The Nixon Impression

After a Variety screening of "Frost/Nixon," Ron Howard told me in a Q&A that he initially wanted the movie to be released before the election, to capitalize on an environment of all things politics, but eventually changed his mind.

"I’m glad that it’s not in a position to be characterized as a political movie trying to make a point pre-election," he said.

Howard recently made a Web video — albeit a bit reluctantly — in which he reprised his Richie Cunningham and Opie Taylor characters as a way of calling attention to Barack Obama’s candidacy. It was one of the best endorsement videos of the campaign season.

For a brief moment in the Q&A, he took on another character. He spiked up his shoulders, rolled his jowls and did a pretty mean Nixon himself.